IT Copyright Notice to Faculty and Staff

Dear Faculty or Staff Member,

Each year, Information Technology is required to inform the campus community of copyright infringement laws. Please review the important information below.

You probably already know that downloading copyrighted music, videos, software and other content is illegal. But did you know that if you download these items illegally on the UofL network, you could lose your network access? You could also end up paying fines and facing even more serious consequences. Here are some important facts you should know:

• Copyrighted works can include text, graphics, music, photographs and more.
• Copyright owners have exclusive rights, including the right to reproduce or distribute their work. Downloading or uploading substantial parts of a work without authority is a copyright infringement.
• There are serious penalties for copyright infringement. Civil fines can range from $750 to $30,000 per work infringed, or even more if a court decides you practiced "willful" infringement. You could also be charged with criminal penalties, including imprisonment of up to five years and fines of up to $250,000 per offense.
• Not all free sources of content are illegal. Some sites provide free content if they are funded by ads or if the artist wants their work distributed free, for example. Check out this site for a list of legal downloading sources, both free and at a cost: http://educause.edu/legalcontent
• If you break copyright laws using the UofL network (wired/wireless), IT is notified and you can be specifically identified as the one who downloaded the illegal content.

Stay away from illegal downloading to keep your network access and avoid serious consequences!

View complete information on copyright laws and the consequences of copyright infringement at UofL.